Man who led police on chase denied bond
A Walnut Grove man remains in custody after leading law enforcement on a 20-mile chase across Neshoba County last Friday morning.
The man, Matthew L. Hardney, 31, was arrested and charged with fleeing law enforcement, receiving stolen property, possession of paraphernalia, possession of a misdemeanor amount of marijuana and disorderly conduct, according to Neshoba County Sheriff Eric Clark.
Hardney faces more than 30 traffic citations associated with the chase from the east side of Neshoba County to the west.
Bond was denied and he remains in the Neshoba County Detention Center.
The Neshoba County deputies and Philadelphia Police were alerted that a possible stolen vehicle had been spotted near the city limits late Friday morning at about 10:45 a.m.
“Both agencies looked for the vehicle and within minutes a deputy spotted the vehicle near Bobby’s Country Store,” according to Police Chief Eric Lyons.
As the deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, the suspect fled west on Highway 16.
Multiple city and county officers pursued the vehicle through town.
The suspect made it to Road 375 near Williamsville before crossing Highway 15 and heading down Highway 21.
The chase ended on Highway 488 at about 11:15 a.m. near the intersection with Road 427 when a deputy was able to run the car off of the road before it reached the Leake Academy school zone.
According to Clark, the chase reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour. Of the 36 traffic violations, Clark said Hardney faces citations for offenses like driving on the wrong side of the road, reckless driving, a seatbelt violation, among other charges. Jail records show Hardney faces 22 counts of disobeying a traffic control device alone.
Clark said the vehicle, a gray 2014 Volkswagen Passat, was reported stolen along with several firearms, ammunition, and two televisions out of Killeen, Texas, on Christmas Eve.
Clark said the investigators have only recovered the handgun.
Hardney allegedly stole the vehicle, guns and televisions from a friend he had been staying with. Clark said the friend was a truck driver and had been gone for some time. He said the friend reported everything stolen when he returned on Dec. 24.